Mortise tool

ABSTRACT

A mortise tool particularly adapted for making a cavity in a member such as a door or a door frame for receipt of a hinge plate of a door hinge is the subject matter herein. The tool includes a frame which is positionable on the edge of the member. An edge cutter is mounted on the frame for movement perpendicular to the surface of the member to cut three sides of a rectangle on the edge of the material. A bottom cutter is slideably mounted on the frame to cut the member perpendicular to the edge cutter at the edge of the member to form a cavity having one side open for receipt of a hinge plate.

United States Patent [191 Ganier 1 Nov. 26, 1974 MORTISE TOOL [76] Inventor: Mark Ganier, 9553 S. Green,

Chicago, 111. 60643 [22] Filed: June 7, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 367,790

[52] US. Cl. 144/27, 145/25 [51] Int. Cl. B27m 3/00, B27g 17/08 [58] Field of Search 145/24, 25, 26; 144/27 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 302,058 7/1884 Thurston 144/27 768,058 8/1904 MacKenzie 144/27 1,430,874 10/1922 Anderson 145/24 X 1,754,925 4/1930 144/27 2,440,208 4/1948 145/25 X 2,794,460 6/1957 145/25 X 2,804,106 8/1957 Di Manno 145/25 X Primary ExaminerAl Lawrence Smith Assistant Examiner-J. T. Zatarga Attorney, Agent, or FirmAnthony S. Zummer 5 7 ABSTRACT A mortise tool particularly adapted for making a cavity in a member such as a door or a door frame for receipt of a hinge plate of a door hinge is the subject matter herein. The tool includes a frame which is positionable on the edge of the member. An edge cutter is mounted on the frame for movement perpendicular to the surface of the member to out three sides of a rectangle on the edge of the. material. 'A bottom cutter is slideably mounted on the frame to cut the member perpendicular to the edge cutter at the edge of the member to form a cavity having one side open for receipt of a hinge plate.

1 Claim, 7 Drawing Figures MORTISE TOOL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Mounting of hinged doors is a tedious operation because the carpenter hanging the door must first position the hinge, mark the position of the hinge plate, and then use a wood chisel to cut along the periphery of the outline of the mortise for a hinge plate. Then the carpenter uses the wood chisel to cut out the material in the cavity. A carpenter requires a substantial amount of experience in order to get the bottom of the cavity flat and to get the depth just right, that is, the cavity cannot be too deep nor can it be too shallow. Furthermore, it is particularly important that the cavity be arranged so that the plate is in such a position that the hinge pin is parallel to the edge of the door. Otherwise,

' the door will not operate properly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a mortise tool which is particularly adapted for cutting out cavities in doors and door frames for receipt of hinge plates. The instant mortise tool includes a frame which is mounted on an edge of a frame or a door which is to receive a hinge. An edge cutter is driven into the material with an impact force by use of a hammer. The edge cutter cuts three straight lines into the material. One line is parallel to the edge; and the other two lines are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the edge. The two parallel lines extend from the one line to the edge. The tool also has a bottom cutter, which is driven into the material at the depth of the cut by the edge cutter to cut the material between the surface of the material and the depth to which the cavity is required, thus defining a cavity which has one side open for receipt of a hinge plate. It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a mortise tool which maybe used for quickly and inexpensively making cuts for a cavity having an open side into a door or a door frame.

It is another object of this invention to provide a mortise tool which may be used by a relatively inexperienced carpenter for cutting cavities in doors and door frames and cutting a cavity which is properly aligned and of a proper depth and having a flat bottom.

It is another object of the herein-disclosed invention to provide an inexpensive mortise tool.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a mortise tool which can be readily maintained and simply operated.

Other objects and uses of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a perusal of the following specification in light of the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mortise tool embodying the present invention, mounted on a door frame for cutting a hinge plate mortise in the door frame;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mortise tool shown in FIG; I, but showing the mortise tool mounted on the edge of a door for cutting a hinge plate mortise in the door;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the mortise tool shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and showing the tool in position for driving the edge cutter into the edge of the door of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the edge cutter and the bottom cutter having been driven into the edge of the door, with a piece of material having been removed;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the edge cutter;

FIG. 6 is an end elevational view of the mortise tool of FIGS. 1 and 2, but with parts broken away in order to show better the interior construction thereof; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective fragmentary view, showing two mortises cut in a door and a door frame by the instant mortise tool.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing, and especially to FIG. 3, a mortise tool embodying the present invention is shown therein and generally indicated by numeral 10. The mortise tool 10 generally includes a frame 12, an edge cutter 14 slideably mounted in the frame, a bottom cutter l6 slideably mounted in the frame, and a plurality of impact drive pins 18 mounted in the frame and engageable with the edge cutter.

The mortise tool frame 12 includes a pair of generally flat sides 20 and 22. The sides are mirror images of each other; and only side 20 is described in detail herein. As may be seen in FIG. 2, side 20 includes a head 24, which has a flat base edge 26 formed on one edge thereof for engagement with a surface into which the tool makes a cavity. A stop 28 is formed integral with the head 24, which stop has a side edge 30 perpendicular to the base, edge 26. The base edge and side edge intersect to form a right angle, as shown in FIG. 2, so that the instant tool readily fits on the corner of a member. A cutter way 32 is formed integral with the head 24 and stop 28. The cutter way has a cutter groove 34 formed in the interior side thereof perpendicular to the side edge 30 and parallel to the base edge 26. An end groove 36 is formed in the side 20 perpendicular to the cuttergroove 34.

Each of the sides 20 and 22 has a head bracket 38 and 40, respectively, fixed thereon. The head brackets 38 and 40 are identical to each other; and only one is described in detail herein. The head bracket 38 includes a side pedestal 42, with an upper tongue 44 formed integral therewith and extending inward of the side 20, as may be best seen in FIG. 2.

The frame 12 includes a plurality of bridges, which serve to connect the sides. A head bridge 46 parallel to the base edges of the sides extends between the heads of sides 20 and 22 and has its ends connected thereto. The head bridge has a pair of guide holes 48, which are perpendicular to the surface of the bridge, and three drive holes 50, which are parallel to each other and the guide holes. A side bridge 52 is fixed at its ends to the sides 20 and 22 adjacent to the respective heads. An end bridge 54 is fixed to the ends of the cutter way of sides 20 and 22. The end bridge 54 includes a trapezoidal center section 56, with a pairof identical ends 58 formed integral therewith. The ends 58 are fixed in the end grooves 36 of the respective sides. The trapezoidal center 56 has an end drive hole 60 in its central portion, which end drive hole has its axis parallel to the cutter grooves of sides 20'and 22.

The edge cutter 14 includes a rectangular base 62, having a flat top 64 and a recess in its bottom portion 66, for reasons which will become apparent hereinafter. The base 62 has a pair of guide pins 68 fixed to the flat top 64, which guide pins mate with guide holes 48 in the head bridge 46. The guide pins 68 are free to slide through the head bridge and limit the movement of the edge cutter to a direction perpendicular to the bridge 46. The edge cutter includes a longitudinal blade 70, secured to its longer side by a generally U- shaped blade holder 72. A pair of shorter blades 74 and 76 are secured to the shorter sides of the base 62 by a pair of blade holders 78 and 80, respectively. It is important to note that the blades 74 and 76 are perpendicular to the blade 70; and the edges of the blades 74 and 76 intersect with the ends of blade 70. The blade holders 72, 78 and 80 also serve as a stop to limit the insertion of the respective blades into a given material.

As may be seen in FIG. 5, the blades 70, 74 and 76 form a general U-shape or a rectangle having an open side. The guide holes 48 and the ends of the blades 74 and 76 are alignedso that the endsof the blades 74 and 76 are aligned with the side edges of the sides 20 and 22. The guide holes 48 are also aligned to determine a line which is parallel to a plane, which is determined by the side edges of the sides 20 and 22. The guide holes 48 are parallel to the plane of the side edges of the sides, so that the edge cutter 14 moves in a direction which is parallel to the side edges of the sides 20 and 22.

The impact drive pins 18 are movably mounted in the three drive holes 50. The axis of each of the drive holes is parallel to each other hole; and also parallel to the axis of each of the guide holes 48. Each of the impact drive pins has its end which is adjacent to the edge cutter slightly flared, so as to hold the impact drive pin in its head bridge 46.

The bottom cutter 16 includes a generally rectangular carrier 82, which has a pair of identical outwardlyextending edges 84 and 86, which are slideably mounted in the cutter grooves of the sides 20 and 22, respectively. The carrier has an elongated blade recess 88 perpendicular to the edges 84 and 86 at its forward or loading edge; and a drive node formed integral therewith. A blade 92 is secured to the carrier 82 in the blade recess 88 by screw 94. The blade 92 has substantially the same length as the blade 70 on the edge cutter 14. A drive pin 96 is fixed to the carrier 82 at the node 90. The drive pin has a reduced portion 98, which is fixed in a drive pin aperture 100 in the node 90. The drive pin 96 is freely slideable in the end drive hole 60 of the end bridge 54.

It should be noted that the edge cutter has its bottom portion recessed and that the bottom cutter has its upper portion recessed to receive a chip between the edge cutter and the bottom cutter as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawing.

The mortise tool is used in the following manner. As may be seen in FIG. 2, the mortise tool 10 is mounted on an inner edge 102 of door 104. The base edge 26 is mounted on the inner edge 102 and the side edge 30 is placed into abutment with a side 106 of the door 104. The mortise tool is held in place manually. An operator strikes with a hammer the center impact drive pin 18 to drive the blades 70, 74 and 76 into the wood of the door. The operator then strikes the other two impact pins until the blades are driven into the wood and until the blade holders engage the upper sur face of the edge 102 of the door. It is readily apparent that the blades cut an open-sided figure into the door,

with the open-sided figure opening toward the side 106 of the door.

Once the edge cutter 14 is driven into place, the operator then strikes the drive pin 96 with a hammer to drive the blade 92 into the side 106 and move the blade in a plane parallel to the plane of the edge 102. The operator need only strike the drive pin 96 a couple of times until the blade 92 is driven up into abutment with the blade and between the blades 74 and 76. A chip of wood 108 is removed to form a cavity or a mortise in the door 104. Since the cavity has three sides formed by the blades 70, 74 and 76, those three sides are of a definite size and are perfectly squared. The use of the blade 92 cutting the bottom of the cavity also assures that the depth of the cavity is uniform throughout and is smooth. The wood chip 108 is removed; and the mortise tool is also removed, leaving a cavity 110. It is apparent that a frame 1 12 may have a mortise 114 formed in the same manner.

It is important to note that, since the sides have the side edges aligned with the guide holes 48, the mortise is always in line with the edge of the door and with the edge of the door frame. Furthermore, the depth of the mortise is always uniform in view of the fact that the depth is determined by the distance of the blade 92 below the plane determined by the base edges of the sides 20 and 22.

From the foregoing description, it is readily apparent that a mortise may be easily and conveniently made; and that there is very little opportunity for the bottom of the mortise to have an uneven surface, as is common with the ordinary use of a wood chisel to cut out a mortise. Furthermore, it is readily apparent that the depth of the mortise will be uniform in every instance; and that the mortise may be made by a relatively inexperienced carpenter.

Although a specific embodiment of the present mortise tool has been shown and described in detail above, it is to be expressly understood that the specific description is made in compliance with the requirements of the applicable patent laws. It should be. further understood that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and changes in the mortisetool described above without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention thereof. It should also be understood that the instant invention is limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A mortise tool for use in making a cavity particularly adapted for receipt of a portion of a hinge comprising, a frame adapted for mounting on a member into which a cavity is to be formed, a stop connected to said frame for positioning the frame adjacent to one 7 edge of a surface into which the cavity is to be formed, an edge cutter movably mounted on the frame and being adapted for engagement with the member with which the frame is in engagement, said edge cutter having a blade engageable with the surface of said member for making a cut in said surface defining a portion of the periphery of the cavity, and a bottom cutter movably mounted on the frame and being adapted for engagement with the member for cutting a flat bottom to the cavity substantially parallel to said surface of the member, wherein the frame includes ahead having a base edge adapted for engaging the surface, said stop includes a side edge perpendicular to the base edge, said edge cutter including a blade stop mounted thereon for engagement with said surface to limit the depth to which the blade may penetrate the surface, said edge cutter including a plurality of guide pins fixed thereon and movably connected to the frame for limiting the motion of the blade to a direction perpendicular to said surface, said blade and the edge of the surface defining a closed figure, a pair of spaced parallel longitudinal grooves in said frame slideably receiving the bottom cutter, said longitudinal grooves being perpendicular to the side edge of the stop, said longitudinal grooves being spaced from the base edge to determine the depth of the cut of the bottom cutter to be substantially equal to the depth of penetration into the surface frame and engageable with the edge cutter to deliver an impact force to the edge cutter for driving the edge cutter blade into said surface, and an impact drive pin movably mounted in the frame and connected to the bottom cutter for delivering an impact load to the bot- 

1. A mortise tool for use in making a cavity particularly adapted for receipt of a portion of a hinge comprising, a frame adapted for mounting on a member into which a cavity is to be formed, a stop connected to said frame for positioning the frame adjacent to one edge of a surface into which the cavity is to be formed, an edge cutter movably mounted on the frame and being adapted for engagement with the member with which the frame is in engagement, said edge cutter having a blade engageable with the surface of said member for making a cut in said surface defining a portion of the periphery of the cavity, and a bottom cutter movably mounted on the frame and being adapted for engagement with the member for cutting a flat bottom to the cavity substantially parallel to said surface of the member, wherein the frame includes a head having a base edge adapted for engaging the surface, said stop includes a side edge perpendicular to the base edge, said edge cutter including a blade stop mounted thereon for engagement with said surface to limit the depth to which the blade may penetrate the surface, said edge cutter including a plurality of guide pins fixed thereon and movably connected to the frame for limiting the motion of the blade to a direction perpendicular to said surface, said blade and the edge of the surface defining a closed figure, a pair of spaced parallel longitudinal grooves in said frame slideably receiving the bottom cutter, said longitudinal grooves being perpendicular to the side edge of the stop, said longitudinal grooves being spaced from the base edge to determine the depth of the cut of the bottom cutter to be substantially equal to the depth of penetration into the surface by the edge cutter blade, and said edge cutter having its bottom portion recessed and the bottom cutter having its upper portion recessed to receive a chip between the edge cutter and the bottom cutter; and including a plurality of impact drive pins movably mounted in the frame and engageable with the edge cutter to deliver an impact force to the edge cutter for driving the edge cutter blade into said surface, and an impact drive pin movably mounted in the frame and connected to the bottom cutter for delivering an impact load to the bottom cutter. 